Figure 1.--Thus CDV portrait shows an unidentified Danish boy and his sublings, all dressed in white. The boy looks to be about 10 years old ans wears a white sailor suit with blue trim. We know the portait was taken in the 1890s because on the back the studio brags about winning a gold medal in an internatiional photogrphic contribution in 1891. So the photigraoh has to have neen taken durung or after 1991. We suspect it was in the lare-1890s or early 1900s. White furniture was populoar in the early-1900s. The studio was G.P Jacobsen in Flakhven, Odense (southrn Denmark).
The sailor suit as a boys' fashion was created when Queen Victoria first dressed her son in one (1840s) from this beginning a major children's fashion was created. Danish fashions were significantly influenced by by German styles. We see an increasing English influences after Princess Alexandria marries Crown Prince Bertie (the future Edward VII). HBC is not sure when Danish boys began dressing wearing sailor suits, but this was an important trend in both Britain and Germany. We suspect that this occurred about the sane time as Britain and Germany, but we have very little information about 19th century Danish styles. Danish boys began wearing sailor suits about the boys in them, probably about the same time as in Germany. There were many connections with German royal families. Unfortunately we do not have a substantial Danish archive. Thus we have been unable to build a chronology of the adoption of sailor suits for children's fashions. We suspect that boys began wearing sailor suits in the 1870s, but can not yet substantiate this. All we can say at this time is that Danish boys were clearly wearing them by the late-19th century. They appear to have been common by the 1890s. We note traditional styles, although we see suits with more than the standard three-stripe detailing. The boy here about the turn-of-the 20th century has six-stripe detailing. This is a little different than we see in either Britain or Germany. On the previous page we see a boy wearing a sailor suit in the 1910s, also with six stripes. We are not sure how common this was. We see other boys with three stripe detailing. We do not yet have enough Danish images ti very clearly flesh out chronological trends. Sailor suits continued popular in the early 20th century and even afterwards in the 1920s. They began to decline in popularity during the 1930s.
The sailor suit as a boys' fashion was created when Queen Victoria first dressed her son in one (1840s) from this beginning a major children's fashion was created. Danish fashions were significantly influences by by German styles. We see increasing English influences after Princess Alexandria married Crown Prince Bertie (the future Edward VII). HBC is not sure when Danish boys began dressing wearing sailor suits, but this was an important trend in both Britain and Germany. We suspect that this occurred about the sane time as Britain and Germany, but we have very little information about 19th century Danish styles. the boys in them, probably about the same time as in Germany. There were many connections with German royal families. Unfortunately we do not have a substantial Danish archive. Thus we have been unable to build a chronology of the adoption of sailor suits for children's fashions. We suspect that boys began wearing sailor suits in the 1870s, but can not yet substantiate this. All we can say at this time is that Danish boys were clearly wearing them by the late-19th century. They appear to have been common by the 1890s.
The 20th Century
We note traditional styles, although we see suits with more than the standard three-stripe detailing. The boy here about the turn-of-the 20th century has six-stripe detailing. This is a little different than we see in either Britain or Germany. On the previous page we see a boy wearing a sailor suit in the 1910s, also with six stripes. We are not sure how common this was. We see other boys with three stripe detailing. We do not yet have enough Danish images to very clearly flesh out chronological trends. Sailor suits continued popular in the early-20th century and even afterwards in the 1920s. They began to decline in popularity during the 1930s.
